Department for Work and Pensions

Labour Market Update

baroness stedman-scott: My honourable Friend The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Dr Thérèse Coffey MP) has made the following Written Statement.Latest data released in September shows UK employment has increased by 3.7 million since 2010. Around three-quarters of that increase in employment has come from full-time, permanent and higher skilled roles. Youth unemployment has also halved since 2010, meaning more young people are in work and the number of children growing up in in workless households is at an all-time low.It is important that we continue to build on this progress so I am introducing a £4 million package, including two new initiatives, to help disadvantaged young people into work and use mobile technology to help jobseekers into higher paid jobs.Additional funding of up to £1.2 million will provide extra support in Manchester and the West Midlands, ensuring extra time and resources for young people facing the biggest hurdles to getting a job, like care-leavers and young offenders.Since 2018 the Department for Work and Pensions has worked with the West Midlands Combined Authority to develop the Youth Employability Coaches concept (previously known as Progression Coaches). Following this successful pilot, we will be expanding the Programme to other parts of the West Midlands and Greater Manchester area to reach more disadvantaged young people. Youth Employability Coaches will continue to support young people for up to 6 weeks after they start a job, helping them continue to build skills and stay in employment.A new data service will also be piloted, initially in Manchester, with up to £2.8 million funding. Using the latest data-analysis technology, this service will gather a range of skills and labour market data from a variety of public and commercial sources.It will provide local areas with high quality and real time information on skills supply and demand. Additionally, jobseekers or those seeking to progress in work will be able to search for roles based on their skills and experience. The pilot service will show them what new skills they need to move into higher-paid roles available near them. By providing more tailored local labour market intelligence we can help individuals find jobs, back businesses, grow our economy and help people reach their full potential.Both pilots have the potential to be rolled out nationally, helping reduce youth unemployment even further after it fell 48% since 2010, and helping more people boost their earnings.


This statement has also been made in the House of Commons: 
HCWS1835

Treasury

Economy Update

the earl of courtown: My right honourable friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Sajid Javid) made the following Written Ministerial Statement last week.An informal meeting of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) was held in Helsinki on 13-14 September 2019. The following was discussed: Working LunchEnhanced Action on Climate ChangeMinisters discussed how to move climate action forward in the policy areas relevant for Finance Ministries.Ministers were then joined by central bank governors for the first working session. Working Session IResilience of Financial Market Infrastructure. Ministers and central bank governors discussed the resilience of financial market infrastructure and the role of the financial sector in countering hybrid threats.Capital Markets Union.Ministers and central bank governors then discussed the priorities in the field of the Capital Markets Union for the next institutional cycle. Working Session II EU Fiscal Rules Ministers discussed the functioning of the current set of EU fiscal rules with the aim of providing input into the European Commission’s review of the EU fiscal framework, due in late 2019. Energy TaxationMinisters then discussed the present and possible future role of energy taxation in mitigating climate change, based on experiences at national and EU level.


This statement has also been made in the House of Commons: 
HCWS1836

Public spending update

the earl of courtown: My right honourable friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Rishi Sunak) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement.Today the Treasury is confirming that £4.3bn of funding will be allocated to departments and the Devolved Administrations for the financial year 2019-20 to deliver the HMG guarantee of EU-funded programmes, with a total of around £16.6bn expected to be allocated over the lifetime of the guarantee.Leaving the EU on 31 October with a deal which works for the whole of the UK remains the government’s top priority.However, the government is continuing with no deal preparations to ensure the country is prepared for every eventuality. It is the responsible thing to do and an important part of this process is giving certainty to UK citizens and organisations.To provide this certainty, and as previously announced in the written statement of 24 July 2018 (HCWS926), the government has guaranteed certain EU funding. The guarantee covers the following:the full Multiannual Financial Framework allocation for structural and investment funds over the 2014-20 funding period, with payments to beneficiaries made up to the end of 2023;the payment of awards where UK organisations – such as charities, businesses and universities – successfully bid directly to the European Commission on a competitive basis while we remain in the EU (e.g. before exit day), for the lifetime of the project;the payment of awards where UK organisations successfully bid to the European Commission on a competitive basis to participate as a 3rd country after exit, and until the end of 2020, for the lifetime of the project; andthe current level of agricultural funding under CAP Pillar 1 until 31 December 2020.


This statement has also been made in the House of Commons: 
HCWS1834